Dee (and anyone else wondering) -about plastics consult...
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Dee (and anyone else wondering) -about plastics consult...
It went very well. He explained what he could do, and told me we would be able to get a *fantastic* cosmetic result, since I won't have to have radiation (which compromises the skin and often creates complications).
He will essentially be doing the same procedure as they do for cosmetic augmentation, with a few changes...He said even in a bathing suit, no one will be able to tell....
He also told me he thinks I am doing the right thing! With some concern about family history, and being so young he thinks "nipping it in the bud" is a good choice. Like he said, without other treatment to compromise my tissue, I can easily have it done, and move on with life, raise my kids and not have to worry about this disease taking anything more away from me down the road...Granted, he has a vested interest in this, but plastic surgeons don't make their money off of insurance-funded reconstructions! His goal is for me to be as happy with the new ones as I was with the originals He did say they won't look *exactly* the same, since he can't include the gravity factor
At my support group meeting on Tuesday I met a woman who has my same surgeon, and had this guy do her reconstruction. She is very happy, and respects both of these guys' work very much! She has had some problems from chemo/radiation, so she has had some additional revision work done. In any case, she says these 2 surgeons are the most caring and compassionate doctors she has ever met, and truly want to help women through this awful disease. I came home so excited after hearing that!
So today I call the surgeon's office to let them know they need to contact the PS and coordinate a surgery date (they will perform it together, as a single procedure) - I'm hoping for sometime in May, so I can recover while my kids are still in school....The whole thing will take a few months - since I'll have to go through the expansion process, then have them replaced with permanent implants. But the initial surgery recovery should only be 2-3 weeks...
SO that's the scoop....
Mary (who never in her LIFE ever thought she'd be consulting with a plastic surgeon...)
He will essentially be doing the same procedure as they do for cosmetic augmentation, with a few changes...He said even in a bathing suit, no one will be able to tell....
He also told me he thinks I am doing the right thing! With some concern about family history, and being so young he thinks "nipping it in the bud" is a good choice. Like he said, without other treatment to compromise my tissue, I can easily have it done, and move on with life, raise my kids and not have to worry about this disease taking anything more away from me down the road...Granted, he has a vested interest in this, but plastic surgeons don't make their money off of insurance-funded reconstructions! His goal is for me to be as happy with the new ones as I was with the originals He did say they won't look *exactly* the same, since he can't include the gravity factor
At my support group meeting on Tuesday I met a woman who has my same surgeon, and had this guy do her reconstruction. She is very happy, and respects both of these guys' work very much! She has had some problems from chemo/radiation, so she has had some additional revision work done. In any case, she says these 2 surgeons are the most caring and compassionate doctors she has ever met, and truly want to help women through this awful disease. I came home so excited after hearing that!
So today I call the surgeon's office to let them know they need to contact the PS and coordinate a surgery date (they will perform it together, as a single procedure) - I'm hoping for sometime in May, so I can recover while my kids are still in school....The whole thing will take a few months - since I'll have to go through the expansion process, then have them replaced with permanent implants. But the initial surgery recovery should only be 2-3 weeks...
SO that's the scoop....
Mary (who never in her LIFE ever thought she'd be consulting with a plastic surgeon...)
Wow, Mary, what a difficult time you're going through right now. I wish I could be there to help you with your kids while you are recovering! I'm so glad you have a good support group and what seems like excellent surgeons.
What hospital did you decide to have it at? I know at one point you had mentioned UCSF...I worked there many, many moons ago--it's a great hospital, one of the best in CA, IMHO.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you!
Wendy
What hospital did you decide to have it at? I know at one point you had mentioned UCSF...I worked there many, many moons ago--it's a great hospital, one of the best in CA, IMHO.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you!
Wendy
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Thanks for your words of support, everyone! I really appreciate it! I am so *OKAY* with my decision - it's hard to explain - but I see the whole bigger picture, and ultimately I am gaining SO much more than I will be losing....In the scheme of things, it is just a body part - which at this point feels much more like a liability than an asset....maybe I would feel differently if I were at a different place in my life....But if it can be redone in a way that I don't cringe in horror when I see myself, I can *totally* move past the "loss" aspect....
Wendy - I got a second opinion @ UCSF - it was a bureaucratic nightmare to get in to be seen there!! Plus it is over an hour's drive! But anyways, the surgeon I saw there agreed with everything my surgeon has done/recommended so far, and gave me the same options and statsitics. So it reaffirmed my decision to stay with my local guy. I get much more personal attention, it is more convenient, and I my surgeon!! I was born @ UCSF, and my mother used to work there way back when....if I had a more serious diagnosis I would want to get cutting-edge treatment there...I felt like since I have a stage 0 diagnosis, I was put at the bottom of the list, priority-wise! .But I'm happy with the care I am getting at the regional hospital....plus I was there for a week with preterm labor - it is like a freakin' country club - even the food is good!
I already feel better, having decided to defintely move forward with this. The surgeon should call me back today with a date! Maybe I'll have a 'bon voyage boobs - girls' night out" the week before!!!
Mary
Wendy - I got a second opinion @ UCSF - it was a bureaucratic nightmare to get in to be seen there!! Plus it is over an hour's drive! But anyways, the surgeon I saw there agreed with everything my surgeon has done/recommended so far, and gave me the same options and statsitics. So it reaffirmed my decision to stay with my local guy. I get much more personal attention, it is more convenient, and I my surgeon!! I was born @ UCSF, and my mother used to work there way back when....if I had a more serious diagnosis I would want to get cutting-edge treatment there...I felt like since I have a stage 0 diagnosis, I was put at the bottom of the list, priority-wise! .But I'm happy with the care I am getting at the regional hospital....plus I was there for a week with preterm labor - it is like a freakin' country club - even the food is good!
I already feel better, having decided to defintely move forward with this. The surgeon should call me back today with a date! Maybe I'll have a 'bon voyage boobs - girls' night out" the week before!!!
Mary